Davis & Elkins College officials have confirmed that their men's basketball assistant coach, Roy Simms, died sometime Saturday night, after collapsing during a basketball practice.

Carol Schuler, Associate Vice President for Communications & Marketing at Davis & Elkins College, said after Simms collapsed at the practice Saturday afternoon, he was taken to Davis Memorial Hospital by ambulance, where he later died.

Schuler said, "The Davis & Elkins College community is deeply saddened by the loss of Coach Simms. Our hearts are with his family at this time."

An official cause of death has not been released, however, Simms had apparently been ill for some time and was awaiting multiple surgeries. He found out last summer that he would need a heart and kidney transplant to save his life. Simms would've had to cover 20% of the cost, of the over $1 million operation. Simms' friends and family held a benefit dinner in October to help raise money for the operation.

After battling prostate cancer last year, Simms was required to wait another year to be eligible for the transplants to ensure he was cancer-free for two years.

Simms was a former head coach for the Elkins High School boy's basketball team.